Outkast
by ChanelVogue
Summary: “I wouldn’t be so heartless if I were you,” he said softly, his aqua eyes never leaving mine. “What are you gonna do about it?” I asked, breathing in the vanilla musk scent. Damn…it smelt nice. R&R TalaOC
1. Chapter 1

**Outkast**

By: Jaded Reflection

**Chapter 1**

You know the girl that everyone in the world seems to hate? The person who people automatically label as a loser or a freak? A loner? Yeah, that's me in a nutshell. They all look at me like I'm the scum of the earth and don't deserve to live just because I don't make a good fashion statement. Every high school in the world has people like me so why should I be any different? Because they know I'm a freak and never let me forget a damn moment of it.

Isn't it weird that people always seemed to judge you by what you look like? Like if you look a certain way, you are that kind of a person and if you change your styles everyday then you become a poser? I seriously don't get it. I mean like how do they find time to actually look at you and criticize your appearance? It's so annoying and stupid.

But I've learnt to deal with it and frankly don't even care anymore. I try and ignore them but they always get on my case. It just surprises me that they never get tired of me. Hn.

My name is Riona Carter and I'm an outkast. Welcome to my life.

Let's start from the beginning. As I said, my name is Riona Carter. I'm half Guyanese and half Greek. I have two parents who don't really give a shit about anything much less me. Along with that, I have four older brothers, three of which are in my school and are popular and jocks. The oldest, Chase, is in his second year of Princeton. From all my family, Chase is the only one who actually looks at me and talks. Everyone acts as if I'm invisible. I swear to God, if you ask them if they knew anyone named Riona, they'd probably say: "Riona? Riona who?"

As if it isn't enough that they ignore me at home but being my older brothers, they should atleast defend me at school right? Hell no. At school, it's worse than at home. If either one of them see my coming towards them, they turn away and start talking or flirting with some next girl. I'm the youngest in my family, unfortunately. And, I have a twin. Twins are supposed to be your other half. Your soulmate. They're supposed to be your best friend. But who was I kidding? That was only in stupid novels or movies.

My twin's name is Devon. He is 1 day older than me. Well not really a whole day but he was born at 11:57 pm and I was born at 12:02 am. Then there's Jared. He's a junior at Roswell High. He played basketball and hockey. And then there's Adrian. Adrian's a senior at Roswell. So, in total, there's me and Devon (we're sophomores), Jared, Adrian and lastly, Chase.

I sighed. Chase wasn't coming home until Christmas and it was only the middle of October. Even though we talk on the phone sometimes, it wasn't enough. I may sound selfish but I need someone with me here all the time.

Chase was busy with his studies and he recently started working too so that gave us less time to talk. I couldn't even dream of going to Devon. If I even so much as step into his room, he'd glare me to death. Same with Jared and Adrian. Their stuff was off limits to me. I'd never hear the end of it. I smiled humorlessly. Great family I have, ne? Yeah, that's what I thought. Was it even possible to forget your own flesh and blood? Much less the person who _shared_ the womb with? I'm talking about Devon, yeah.

Anyways, I don't wanna talk about any oft them anymore. I looked around my room and my gaze stopped at a couple of photo albums that Adrian had dumped into my room. Reaching out to them, I grabbed a hold of one and opened it. I smiled as I saw the familiar picture. It was of my and Chase way back when we were young. I was about 8 and he was about 12 or 13. We were under the Christmas tree, opening presents as fast as we could. I turned the page and a picture of me and Jared caught my attention. He looked about 8 so I was 7 back then. Something that really surprised me was that we were laughing and his arm was around me. I closed my eyes and subconsciously a tear made its way down my cheek. I closed the photo album and put it back.

I opened my eyes and rubbed my cheek. They used to like me. What happened?

* * *

So...how was it? This is my FIRST attempt at a story from first person's view and also writing a story like this. PLEASE TELL ME HOW I DID! It'll only take your 60 seconds at the most! I really need input on this story. Now, just press that _Go_ button and send me a review!

:JadedReflection:


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

I blinked my eyes open and yawned. Grumbling, I turned off the alarm clock that was beeping loudly. My eyes automatically closed again but I forced them to open. Blinking a couple of time, I got up and set my crimson comforter to the side. I ran my hand over my face and then got up.

I hated mornings. I never seemed to get enough sleep and always got a headache. Now, I know what you're thinking. Headaches in the morning? Yes, headaches in the morning. Every freaking day, I woke up to Jared's Linkin Park music. Personally, I liked Linkin Park but waking up to it every day in your life seems annoying. Unfortunately, his room was right next to mine so it was like noise of hell to me. Adrian always went to school early so he never said anything and Devon always woke up way too early to care.

I groaned as I brushed my teeth. When will he stop already! I guess I was lucky enough to have my own bathroom atleast. After I spit the foamy toothpaste out, I pounded my head against the door softly, hoping for once God will have pity on me and somehow get Jared to turn that hell off.

I waited for a few moments. The sound was still blaring out of his room like never before.

Damn.

Giving a silent sigh, I quickly put on a really loose fitted and oversized black t-shirt and some blue/green jeans. I glanced at the clock, thinking it was probably 7:25 or 7:30 but what I saw left me completely shocked. It was 7:50. School started at 8:00!

Oh _damn_.

Hurriedly, I grabbed my backpack and rushed downstairs. Jared was patiently eating his toast. I hated whenever he did that. School started in less than 10 minutes and he could get out of the house at 7:55 and not be late. He had a fucking car. I, on the other hand, had to fucking walk to school and it took me almost 15-20 minutes. I quickly put on my sneakers and ran out the door and to school.

**-:-**

"You're late, Ms. Carter," my English teacher, Mr. Turner said as soon as I entered the room. Twenty-five pairs of eyes looked at me and a few snickered. Mr. Turner looked at me, expectantly. "You know the drill. Stop standing like an idiot, Carter, and get a late slip." This time, more people snickered and a few in the back laughed. It was official. God hates me.

Dejected, I left the classroom and walked back the way I came back. Rounding off the corner, I saw the office come into view. I groaned loudly. There was a huge line in front of the office for late people.

Great.

Not only am I going to have to get a late slip but I'm going to spend half the period getting it. Yup, God, you hate me. I get it.

I sound so pathetic right now, don't I?

I thought so.

Standing in line to get a late slip was the last thing I wanted to do right now. Eventually, after 20 minutes, I finally got my turn. Taking the late slip from the evil secretary, who was looking at me in disdain, I walked out the office and back to my English class. Oh, did I mention the office and my class were at total opposite ends of the school? But I was late already so why not just take my time to get to class? I gave a silent sigh as I rounded off the corner. Glancing at the wall beside me, I stopped. A poster hung there. It announced the final basketball match against Croft. The championship game. Croft High was our biggest rival and had been for the last 20 years or so.

It was hard to tell which school was THE best mainly because where Croft excelled, we didn't and vice versa. I really liked the poster though. Roswell was one of the richest schools in the city so it could afford professionally made posters for each and every event. It's not like we were too lazy to get our asses up and draw something on a big piece of paper but it was easier for the Student Council because they didn't have to waste valuable time, though they hand-made posters when it came to Homecoming games and dances and Prom.

Roswell and Croft are major athletics supporters. We played almost each and every game. Basketball, soccer, volley-ball, tennis, softball, baseball, tennis, hockey, etc. But our most important sport was football, according to most people. I rolled my eyes at the thought. I hate football. It was Devon used to talk about at home before he got addicted to basketball. All of my brothers, yes, including Chase, played sports. Chase used attend Roswell as well so he played football for one year, volley-ball, soccer, hockey, and basketball. When he used to attend Roswell, he was like the ultimate jock. It was a surprise for everyone when he turned down three sports scholarships to three of the best universities. Devon plays basketball and does track so he's really fast when it comes to running. Jared plays soccer, football, and volley-ball. And lastly, Adrian plays basketball and volley-ball and a bit of track. Unfortunately, I don't play any sports so I kind of sucked when I used to take gym. Hell, I can't even play dodgeball and that's saying something. I was a HUGE laugh in the girls' change room.

Later when Chase found out, he actually taught me how to play volley-ball. I smiled at the memory. Chase had come back for the summer last year and when Devon told him what had happened over dinner one day, he had told me that starting the next day, I would be learning to play a sport of my choice. I picked volley-ball because I didn't have to run much in the game and by the end of the summer, I even beat Chase once. But I still think that was a complete fluke. Of course, no one else knew I played and Chase didn't tell anyone either. The last time we talked though, he did say that if I didn't atleast try out for this year's Junior Girls' Volley-Ball team, he'd do something really bad to me. And I wasn't about to take up on his offer.

Mr. Turner glanced at the door when I stepped in and then turned back to his discussion again. I dragged myself to my desk and took a seat. A lot of scribbles were on my desk. Most of them were comments about me though. Almost everyone who had a course in this classroom knew I sat on it. How? Because of Kai Hiwatari.Kai was one of the popular jocks and a huge jerk at that. How does he know me you ask? He's Jared's best friend.

"Now, since the period is just about to end, here's what you have to do for tomorrow. We have just finished reading _Of Mice and Men_ by _John Steinbeck_. At the end of the book, you all know that George killed Lennie. We're going to have a mock trial in this class. I want each of you to either be a district attorney or a defense lawyer. Anyone here have any clue as to who a defense lawyer or a district attorney is?"

A couple of people raised their hands.

"A district attorney is a type of lawyer who would try to accuse George of killing Lennie?" A girl named Josie guessed and Mr. Turner nodded in confirmation.

"That's right. A DA is a lawyer who accuses the defendant."

"A defense lawyer is a lawyer who tries to prove that the defendant is innocent," I said without raising my hand. Mr. Turner nodded and smiled slightly.

"That's right. But next time please raise your hand." Mr. Turner moved his gaze from me to the rest of the class once again. "When you pick what you want to be, make three or more points why a) George should be charged with murder or b) why George should be free to go. That's all for now. We will discuss more as time progresses." At the same exact time, the bell rang, initialing the end of Period 1 and start of Period 2.

I got up quickly and got out of the door. I needed to get to my locker and fast. Why you ask? Well, because, I have Gym next period and need to get my gym clothes before I get late again.

I opened my locker with ease and ran to the gym. Opening the gym doors, I was relieved to see that Ms. Levitz wasn't there yet. As I walked to the change room, I could faintly hear the giggling sounds coming from inside. I opened the door and stepped in. A few girls stopped talking and looked over to see who had entered but once they saw me, they went back to their chattering. Quickly slipping out of my clothes into my gym uniform, I walked outside. By now, Ms. Levitz had come and was setting up volley-ball nets. Noticing me, she spoke.

"Don't just stand there, Carter, help me put these up." I nodded and held up the metal rod while she tied the net on it. The other girls slowly started coming out and sat in their squads. We had squads, each having five girls, for Ms. Levitz to remember our names easily. After she was done tying the net, I walked to my squad and sat down.

Haley Kent sneered at me and smirked. "Try not to get hit by the ball too many times this time, Carter." I had the pleasure of having her in my gym class last year and I was _horrible_ at it.

Notice the sarcasm in the first part.

Even when we had played volley-ball before in gym class this year, I had sucked. Half the time when we played games, the ball always hit me in one way or the other. Even after Chase had coached me in it. Somehow I always froze up when I saw the ball come near me.

Ms. Levitz took our attendance and then went to the Equipment Room to get a good volley-ball. "Now, listen up," she started and we grew quiet. "Today is the second last day of our volley-ball unit. So, I decided on playing a game."

How was this any different other than everyday?

"With the boys," she finished. I groaned quietly while Haley and her group tittered. Haley was a _good_ player in volley-ball. And I mean good. She had been on the team for 5 years now. To her, it was another way to impress the boys. Especially Devon. For some reason, he was her flavor-of-the-month. Of course, he knew that but didn't do anything so I suppose he had a bet going down with his friends concerning her.

Just as I had thought that, the boys had come to our gym, Devon being one of them. He glanced at me for a millisecond before moving his gaze to Haley. She gave him a flirty smile that he returned with one of his own. I looked at Haley. She was gorgeous. It was no wonder everyone went coo-coo over her. With straight, sleek blonde hair and a pair of dark willow green eyes, she was the epitome of beauty.

I moved my gaze from her to another place and it was then I saw a tall guy staring at me. He had dirty blonde hair and the most beautiful bluish-gray eyes she had ever seen. Okay so those were the _only_ bluish-gray eyes she had ever seen but that was not the point. My face grew red and for a second I thought he was looking behind me to some other girl but it was then I realized I was leaning on a freaking wall. I averted my gaze looking everywhere but at him but I guess curiosity took over me and I looked back. Though he wasn't looking at me anymore, as if feeling my gaze, he turned around and looked at me and caught me staring.

Fortunately that was when Ms. Levitz and Mr. Smith came back. We gathered around them and waited for them to announce our teams. "Well, since there are about 24 of you, we have decided to make 4 teams of 6 people. Each game will lead to 10 points and after that, the teams that were currently playing will get off and the other two will play their game."

"You will be marked on this and it will count towards your in-term marks. Now, we have decided to make co-ed teams so there will be 3 boys and 3 girls on each team." I groaned again.

"The first team includes Devon, Haley, Jamie, Kent, Clark, and Rina. You are Team A. Team A will face Team B which has Riona, Noelle, Bryan, Janice, Tom, and Marcus. Team C is Charlie, Shea, Dave, Owen, Thomas and Michelle. The rest of you are Team D. Everyone separated into their teams and Ms. Levitz lead teams C and D into the next gym. Our big gym had been separated into two smaller ones. One for boys and the other for girls.

Mr. Smith blew his whistle and handed Noelle the volley-ball to serve. I played the middle position. As I took a look at my team quickly, I noticed that the guy who had been staring at me was in my team.

Great.

Noelle served the ball.

Let the games begin.

**-:-**

I rubbed the small ice-pack on my forehead as I started for lunch. The ball had hit me more times than I could count. Devon and Haley kept on spiking the ball and in return, I was almost always up front when they did that and whenever I _tried_ to hit the ball, it hit me instead.

"Hey, are you okay?" A voice asked me from behind. Noelle Ivanov. As in Kai's current girlfriend. As in the younger sister ofTala Ivanov, Jared's and Kai's best friend. Like the first two,Tala was also a jock. He had been over to my house a couple of time to hang out withKai and Jared. He was _just_ like Kai. If possible, much worse. He knew I used to have a huge crush on him last year. To this day, he holds it against me.

Okay, I still like him so sue me.

I touched my forehead gingerly and grimaced. "Yeah, I'll be fine." I said when she fell into step with me. She gave me a sympathizing look and I thought she'd go away after that. Surprisingly, she didn't. After a few minutes, I couldn't take it anymore. "So what do you want?" I know I sounded a little rude but at the moment I didn't really care.

"Nothing really. I just wanted to know if you were okay or not. Are you new?" I gave a bitter laugh.

"I wish. I've attending this hellhole since last year." Now, it was her turn to look surprised.

"So how come I never noticed you before?"

"What can I say? I'm invisible. Now, I know you have something better to do than going around with a ghost so why don't you go do that?" Noelle gave me a shocked look.

"Look, I was trying to be nice," she started but I interrupted.

"I don't need niceness from people like you. Leave me the _hell_ alone." I glared at her viciously and stalked off. I hated people like that. Oh sure, Noelle Ivanov was really cool and nice but it was the fact that she hung out with people who made my life hell that made me despise her.

Oh sure, looks aren't everything but if they judge me, why can't I?

I threw the ice pack that had melted into the garbage can and went to my locker. Taking out my sketchbook, I opened it and started sketching. I loved art. It was my escape from reality. I could transfer all my emotions into my sketch and that was the one thing I loved about art. It was like magic. You know, when you touch something and you feel that electrifying spark? This was the same. When I touched the pencil, it was like all the emotions I welded up inside me would move on the paper through the pencil.

I was so into sketching, I hardly noticed someone looming over me until they gave a little cough. I snapped my sketchbook close and looked up.

It was the same guy from gym.

"Do you usually stare at random girls or do you want something from me?" I felt my mouth say. Instead of glaring at me and dishing out a million insults, he gave a slight smile.

"May I sit down?" Without waiting for an answer, he sat down.

"I didn't say you could." He shrugged uncaringly. "So why would you ask?"

"Politeness," he replied, looking at me. I scoffed.

"Look, why the hell are you even here first of all?" I asked glaring at him, hoping he'd get the message and go rot in the hole where he came from. He didn't.

"Are you usually this bitchy when someone's trying to be nice to you or is it just PMS?" He asked me, an amused glint in his eyes. I looked at him with my widened eyes and opened and closed my mouth like a fish.

"I can't believe you just said that," I said angrily.

"Chill yourself, ok? Wanna tell me what you're doing here alone?"

"No."

"Oh, is this your sketchbook?" Before I could process what was happening, all that was left in my hand was my pencil. I tried to grab my sketchbook from him but he held it too high.

"Give it back!" I growled. "My art is personal. You have no right to look at it."

"Oh live a little. Stop being such a frigid bitch," he said dismissingly, shuffling through the pages. "This is some good artwork. You did it?"

"No, a little invisible alien from outer space took over my body and did it," I replied sarcastically. He laughed and patted my head like I was some dog or something. This boy was staring to annoy me now.

"Cute."

"I know."

"…"

"Don't you have some popular table in the cafeteria to sit at and preach about your oh-so-good deeds?"

"Not really, seeing as how I'm new."

Oh so _that's_ why I've never seen him before. Hehe…my bad.

"Well why don't you go anyways, seeing as how you already act as annoying and stupid as them?" I asked. "You'd fit right in."

"Yeah, actually your brother _did_ invite me to sit with them…"

"So leave."

"Nah, I think I like annoying you better." He gave me an annoyingly sexy smirk and handed my sketchbook back. I snatched it from him and glared at him as he stood up. "Well, lunch is just about over so I have to go. I know you're really sad from the inside that I'm leaving." I gave him a dry look and scoffed. "Try not to miss me much, oki?" With that, he swaggered around the corner like he was the king of the world.

Ugh…I hate this school.

* * *

So...how was it? Please leave a review! Thanks to _Uzumaki Angel, anonymus elephant, and Ivory Black aka Torri-Ciob..._ for leaving me my first reviews and alos to those who added me on thier storyalerts list!

-:-->Jaded-Reflection --:-


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"And you know what…stop laughing you idiot!" I screamed in the phone while my stupid brother continued laughing.

"I'm sorry, kiddo. But honestly…I wish I was there," Chase said before he burst into laughter again. I glared at my backpack even though I knew he couldn't see it.

"Shut up!" I growled. His laugh slowed down and then came to a stop. "He's so infuriating!"

"All he did was look at your sketchbook and sit beside you at lunch!" Chase argued.

"My art is personal and he didn't even ask! And he knew I wanted to sit alone at lunch. I made it clear. And you know what? He freaking swaggered when he left like he freaking owned the freaking school!"

"Nice vocabulary," he snickered. At my growl, he stopped. "Okay, so just ignore him then."

"That's what I'm going to do. Stupid freaking idiot."

"You have any classes with him?" Chase asked.

"Just art and gym. I didn't see him in English so I guess that's it."

"So other than that eventful thing, anything new happen?" Chase asked and I heard some shuffling on the other line.

"Are you working on an essay?" I asked playing with the phone cord.

"Yup, I have to write essay on this book we're doing."

"Haha…sucks to be you."

"Shut up."

I snickered. "Nothing else happened."

"Did you try out for the Jr. Volleyball team yet?" Damn…I was hoping he'd forget about that. "I bet you thought I forgot."

"Tryouts are next week." How did he know I was thinking that anyways?

"I'm your brother. Known you since you were born, kid. I know what you think." Whatever.

"Don't 'whatever' me, kid."

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" I yelled and he started laughing again. Muttering a quick goodbye, I put down the phone. Almost as soon I put it down, it began ringing. I bet you anything it's him again. I picked up the phone. "Dammit, stop calling me. You laugh at me too much."

There was a pause. "Don't feel so special, goth. I wasn't calling for you. But you're right. I laugh at you too much."

Argh…

"Hiwatari, don't you have anything better to do then to call here? Like playing tonsil hockey with the slut you call a girlfriend?"

"Jealous?" I can just see the smirk he's giving off right now. Jackass.

"You wish." I removed the phone from my ear. "ADRIAN!"

"What now?"

"Phone!" Not bothering to check if he picked it up or not, I slammed it down. I stretched for a minute and then opened my backpack to check the homework. Hm…English and art. I took out my sketchbook and started sketching.

**-:-**

I rubbed my temple and sighed. Thankfully, today was the last day for the volleyball unit. I hadn't gotten hit with the ball that many times today. We played with the guys so we had the same teams as yesterday. The try-out posters had gone up in the morning today announcing that the volley-ball try-outs were next week for sure. Right now, I was staring at one of them, thinking if I should really go or not. I could always lie to Chase and say I tried out but didn't make it. But then again, even if I showed up, one of my brothers would be there and they'd tell Chase so he'd know.

"Gonna try out?" At the voice, I jumped and dropped all my papers on the floor. Turning around, I glared at the person. _Him_ again. Without answering, I bent down but he bent down to help. Not caring which paper went where, I just jammed them into my binder.

I tried to walk away. Notice I used the word _tried_. He followed me yet again. "So, you're gonna try out right?" He asked again.

I stopped and turned to him.

"Look, why won't you just leave me alone?" I hissed and he just smiled, unfazed.

"Does this annoy you?" He asked finally.

"YES!"

A pause and he looked away and I almost felt bad. Almost.

"Good," he said simply. "I'll keep on doing it till you give in then."

"Why the hell are you so goddamn desperate?" I growled.

"No one likes to be a loner, Carter."

"Well I do, so leave me alone!" I hissed and walked away. Thankfully, he didn't follow me this time. Grumbling about stupid evil boys, I sat near my locker and opened _Shattered Mirror_ by _Amelia Atwater-Rhodes_ and started reading. I loved her books. They seemed to defy reality. I got hooked onto her when I read her first book that she published when she was just thirteen. I love her books.

I don't know how long I was reading that book for. But just as I reached the ultimate climax…the bell rang. Can you believe it? It went just as I was about to read what Christopher and Nikolas were about to do with Sarah. I put the book in my locker and walked to Art. Just then I realized who would be in my class. Seeing his face right after lunch was not a healthy choice for me.

I opened the door and went in. Surprisingly, a lot of people had taken art this year. Last year, there were only about 15-20 people. This time though, there were atleast 30 people. I think people realized that you don't do any work in this class and it is an easy A. I rolled my eyes at the thought. Yeah right. I took my sketchbook out of my bag and opened it to the latest sketch I had started. Picking out a good color, I started coloring it in. I heard chairs shuffling nearby as the warning bell rang.

The teacher, Ms. Suh, came in last. She put down a stack of papers on the desk. I put down my color pastel and looked up. Ms. Suh was a petite Japanese woman. She was fresh out of university and this was her first job.

"Alright, I do have your marks for the painting projects and I have to say I was surprised by quite a few of them. All of them were good and creative though there are some that some minor mistakes. One or two of you decided not to listen when I read the instructions but other than that, every one of them was fantastic." At this point, she was giving the mark sheets. She paused at our table, gave me my mark sheet as well as another girl and then went on the next table.

I looked at my sheet and grinned. I got 56 out of 60. Almost perfect. I was pretty sure I had the highest mark. After Ms. Suh had given away all the mark sheets, she came to my desk.

"Riona, could I speak to you after class?" I nodded wordlessly. After that, class went pretty fast. She had given us free time so I finished my sketch in the mean time.

As the other students walked out, I stood near her desk and waited for her to begin.

"Riona, as you might already know, you're one of my best students." I nodded and she continued. "And you also know that we have a new student," she said, gesturing to something behind me. I turned around and was pretty surprised to see Mr. Hotshot standing behind me. His gaze shifted to me and then he looked away again.

"So?" Please don't say what I think you're going to say. Please.

"I want you to catch him up in this class. I know I may be asking a lot from you," she said. No kidding, I thought. "…but we're going to be starting the portrait sketches next week and he'd do horrible in it if he didn't knew the basics."

So? I don't give a shit. I looked at him and then back at her.

"Please?" She added. I sighed and nodded.

"Fine, whatever. Okay, then wait, if I were to 'tutor' him as you put it; can I earn my volunteering hours doing this?" I asked. Hey…if I'm going to do this, I need something out of it too. Ms. Suh's face broke out in a smile.

"That's a wonderful idea!" After she scribbled me a note for my next class, I walked away. I heard a voice calling my name behind me. Apparently I didn't walk fast enough. I turned around reluctantly.

Mr. Hotshot caught up and we started walking together. I know…it's surprising but whatever.

"So what days can you tutor me?" He was grinning as he said this. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"You are enjoying this, aren't you?" His laugh was my answer and I gritted my teeth. "Didn't I tell you at lunch to leave me alone?"

"Yeah but I can't…I need to be 'caught up'," he said giving me a smirk.

"Argh…fine. I'll tutor you. When can you make it tomorrow at the library?" I asked him.

"School library or the public one?"

"School."

"After school, I can stay for as long as you want."

"Okay then. I'll see you tomorrow after school." Not waiting for a reply, I walked away. I checked the clock on the wall. Most of period 4 had passed. I don't wanna go to my next class. Only 30 minutes left anyways so I just went to the library.

**-:-**

After school, the weirdest thing happened to me, you know. I was at my locker when all of a sudden this girl comes to me. I had noticed her a few times hanging around with Adrian and his crew and surprisingly, she wasn't one of the airhead bimbos.

"Aren't you Devon's twin?" She asked. "Rihanna?"

"Riona," I said correcting her. I put my books in my locker and took out my novel.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Riona…that's a pretty name," she said trying to make conversation and horribly failing.

"Mhmm…now, I'm sure you didn't waste all that time to just get my name right. So…what do you want?"

"Well…Adrian and I were talking about you," she started and I froze. I just stared at her, gaping like a fish.

"What the hell?" I burst out. She shrugged.

"Well, it was more like me and Noelle, but Adrian was there too. And Noelle was asking about the Winter Musical," she said, tucking in a strand of dark auburn hair.

"Wanna tell me how this relates to me?" I asked, getting impatient.

"Adrian said that you sing."

Again, I could do nothing but just freeze. How the hell does that jerk know anyways?

"Well, apparently, he heard you last year during that carnival that was hosted by the church." At my blank look, she elaborated. "Last year in July? Remember, the church was raising money for donations or something and you volunteered to sing for the little kids?"

My face paled. Oh shit. Adrian was _there_? And he didn't even tell me? How the hell did I not see him there?

"So…?" I'm pretty sure my voice cracked but I didn't let anything on.

"Well…we're currently auditioning for the Winter Musical if you want to try out. I'm co-director of the Musical."

"No thanks. I don't do musicals." I said walking away. I seem to do that a lot these days, ne?

Unfortunately, she caught up with me. "Please, just come to audition!"

"Am I the only person who sings in this school? Besides, I'm not good. I'll wreck your show." I was gonna _kill_ Adrian for this.

"Just give us a chance. Please." I stopped and so did she.

"Look, I don't know what sick joke Adrian is trying to pull by telling you about me," I hissed. She tried to protest but I didn't give her a chance. "So let's get one thing clear, I am not going to go up and make a fool of myself like you all want me to."

Not waiting for an answer, I left.

**-:-**

By the time I reached home, I was shaking with fury. Adrian had no right to tell them about my singing. Not bothering to knock, I opened his door and found him sitting on the computer. He looked surprised that I came in his room. I never come in his room. No matter what.

"What the fuck are you playing at?" I growled. He looked taken back for a moment.

"What are you talking about?" He asked confusingly.

"Don't act innocent on me, Adrian. Why didn't you tell me you were at the carnival last July?" He gave me a blank look before he realized what I was talking about.

"I didn't think it was important. What's the big deal anyways?" He asked shrugging uncaringly.

"The big deal is that you didn't have to blab it out to people," I said narrowing my eyes at him, giving him a heated glare. Too bad he didn't notice.

"You mean about what I said to Noelle and Mariah?" He asked looking at me. At my sharp nod, he continued. "What's your point? They needed people to audition so I said you sing."

"Did you even ask me if I wanted to audition or not?" I shouted.

"Look," he said, his patience growing thin. "Just because I said you sing doesn't mean you _have_ to audition."

As much as I hated to admit, he was right. It wasn't like I _had_ to audition. I gave a soft sigh.

"Whatever. Just don't do it again," I said finally and left.

**-:-**

Grudgingly, I took out my sketchbook and headed towards the library where I was supposed to tutor Blondie. Entering, I located him near the back tables with his sketchbook and pencils. I walked there and took a seat without saying anything.

I showed him various sketches of mine and showed him different techniques to get a certain effect. He was catching on quickly so atleast that was in my favor.

"So, are you gonna try out for the Winter Musical?" He asked looking at me. My hand froze but I didn't look up. After a second, I continued as if I hadn't heard him. Unfortunately, he didn't let it go like I wanted him to. He repeated and I ignored him again. He let out an impatient sigh before grabbing my hand.

"Let go."

"Answer my question and I will."

"No, I'm not auditioning, okay?" I hissed giving a glare. He nodded and let go. We were silent for a moment.

"Why not?" He asked.

"I came here to catch you up on what's been happening in class not to tell you about my personal business."

"Why can't you ever accept that someone wants to be your friend?" He asked, impatiently. I narrowed my eyes at him. Why the hell was he giving me attitude? "You can't expect people to never notice you, Riona."

I shot him a heated glare but he ignored it.

"Look Blondie, I don't know who the hell you think you are but just because you're Devon's friend, it doesn't give you the right to criticize what I do," I spat. "And as for getting people to notice me, I have lived until now and I can survive three more years."

I was pissed. He had no right to say that. I stood up, gathered my stuff and left without waiting for an answer. He doesn't even know me. Who is he to tell me I need friends? I don't need anyone. I was fine before and I'm fine now. I don't need him and I don't need anyone. I slammed my locker door and walked away. The halls were pretty deserted. It was pretty late and unless you're on a sports' team, no one would be here. I checked the time. It was 4:30. Sighing, I started on my way home.

And as for the tutoring, forget it. I don't care anymore.

* * *

OMG! I got six reviews! YAYNESS! Hehe...so yeah...thanks for the reviews guys and keep it coming! Thanks a LOT to: **SamSam-aka-Sam**, **dark Alley**, **Rene Miashi**, **WalkingDeathWish**, and **Jinxce**. A special thanks to **Jinxce** for leaving me reviews for Chapter 1 AND Chapter 2. I hope you guys like it! 

Also, a special thanks to all who added this story to their favorites list and put this story on story alerts. You guys rock my slippers off!

-:-Jaded Reflection-:-

P.S. Tala finally comes out in the next chapter..promise ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The couple of days after that confrontation with Blondie were pretty good. After that, he didn't come to annoy me or anything else. If anything, he left me alone. There was the occasional nod that he gave me when we passed each other in the hallways but other than that, there was nothing else. As usual, I spent my lunches sitting by my locker either sketching or reading. At first I thought Art class was going to be hell because of what happened. And it was. Even though I talked to Ms. Suh about our dispute, she said I would have to tutor it but I can start doing that from next week so we have some time off and all that.

I closed the book with a snap and looked at the cover. No matter what, I just couldn't concentrate today. I sighed and stood up to open my locker. I put the book inside and took out my lanyard. Although Roswell didn't have uniforms, we did have lanyards with our student ID cards to confirm that we went to Roswell. Quickly glancing at my wrist to check the time, I shut my locker and started to walk towards Art.

"Hey," I heard a voice behind me. Turning around, I narrowed my eyes at the girl and started to walk again. I had no time to deal with Ivanov's little sister. "No wait!" I didn't stop. Unfortunately, she caught up with me.

"Look, if you're here again trying to tell me to audition for the stupid show, my answer is still no."

"Yo, I just wanna talk." I stopped and turned to her.

"Okay, talk." I looked at her and she sighed. The bell rang, signaling the start of the period, but we still stood facing each other. "Look, if you have nothing to say then I have a class to go to."

"No wait, can we go sit somewhere?" I sighed impatiently but nodded anyways. I had no idea why I agreed but oh well.

"Let's go to the library." She nodded and we started walking. On the way, we didn't talk. When we reached the library, I opened the door and we went in. We walked to a table at the back of the library and sat down. I looked at her and raised my eyebrows.

"Enrique told me what happened," she started. She was about to continue but I stopped her.

"Who the hell is Enrique?" I asked with a blank face. She gave a confused look.

"The guy that talks to you all the time," she said slowly.

"You mean the Blondie?" I asked bluntly.

"You call him Blondie?" She asked with a small smile on her face. I nodded. "But yeah, he told me what happened at the library a few weeks back."

"Wait, he told you? What the fuck! How is it any of your business? Damn, what else did he tell you?" I asked. I am going to kill that bastard. I swear to God. I'm gonna kill him, revive him, and then kill him again.

"Hey, can I finish my talk first? And besides, he's of my oldest friends. If there's anyone he would tell this to, it's me. So yeah, look, don't you think you were a bit to harsh on him? He's just trying to be your friend. Why can't you give him a chance?" I glared at her.

"Why can't I give him a chance? Firstly, he's associated with you. And secondly, I don't need him. I don't like him and I never will and frankly, I have no idea what he's trying to pull by getting you to talk to me but whatever it is, it's not working," I said with a scowl. She blinked and gave me a surprised look. "I've known you since we were in second grade and now all of a sudden one of you wants to be my friend and you all come and talk to me like I did something wrong?"

"He's not trying to pull anything," she defended. "And come on, Rihanna, it's not all of a sudden. It's not like you were invisible. We all know you." I shook my head in disbelief.

"See, this is what I mean, you don't even know my name. You can't even say it properly. Why should I believe anything that comes out from you? Just because I'm Devon's sister doesn't mean that I have to respect you or even talk to anyone of you. I hate everything to do with you, your brother, and the rest of your fucked up crew. Now if you please, let me finish high school in _peace_." I didn't wait for an answer. I stood up and got the hell outta there. What was it with these people? Do they not get the meaning of leaving people alone? Being in no mood to go to my next class, I just left for home.

**-:-**

I was quite surprised when I saw a gray Honda Acura in the driveway. Normally, my dad was never home. Why was he home now? I opened the door with my key and entered the house.

"Who's there?" My dad asked over the noise of the T.V. I walked to the living room and took off my blue hoodie. My dad was sitting on the couch, TV remote in one hand and a mug of coffee in the other. "What are you doing home so early?" He grunted.

"I wasn't feeling well. How come you're not at work?" I asked softly. If there was one thing I knew it was never to talk in a loud voice with dad when he's drinking coffee. He doesn't drink coffee unless he's mad or frustrated. He scowled at me and turned to the TV.

"That's none of your business," he said. I stood there, confused. He looked at me and narrowed his eyes. "Don't just stand there. Go to your room!" I snapped out of my thoughts and nodded. I walked past him and upstairs to my room.

Entering my room, I put my backpack on my bed and turned on my computer. While it started, I cleaned up my desk. A couple of minutes later, I turned towards the computer and yawned. I logged on to my check my email after everything loaded. I grinned as I saw an email from Brooklyn. Brooklyn is my pen-pal from Australia. We met in one of the chatting rooms I used to go to and we clicked right away.

_From: brookrider1765_

_To: hersheycookies45_

_Hello my American buddy,_

_So, Winter musical, huh? That sounds pretty cool. What musical are you guys doing? You know, I'd tell you to audition. It would be pretty fun but it's up to you I guess. For us, we're doing a talent show. It's a tradition in my school. It's pretty fun though. Guess what? grin A couple of my friends and I got together and decided to participate in the show. We're gonna dance. _

I smirked. Yeah right. As if he's actually gonna get his assup and dance. Brooklyn is probably the laziest guy around.

_Don't laugh. I know you're gonna laugh. Shut. Up. My friend, Ross, actually persuaded me to join but let me tell you, I'm glad I did. We're gonna do this break-dancing act combined with this Indian dance. A couple of guys in our group are Indians. So anyways, just audition for the Musical. You never know, you might end up liking it. How's everything else going on? _

_Anyways, I gotta dip. Liana wants to take over the computer now. LOL. _

_See you later kid,_

_Take it easy._

I smiled and closed the internet window. I'll send him a reply later. I blinked a couple of times and yawned. Shutting down the computer, I moved my backpack from my bed and lied down. Giving a silent sigh, I closed my eyes and let sleep take over.

**-:-**

"What do you mean you don't know?" A loud voice woke me up. I snuggled deeper into the bed but was unable to shut out the loud banter. "How could you be so careless?"

I got up and yawned, blinking a couple of times. I walked outside my room and into the bathroom. Splashing me face with cold water, I blinked again and wiped my face with a face towel. Getting out of the bathroom, I went to the living room. My dad was there along with my mom, Jared, Adrian, and Devon. My mom was absolutely mad from what I could see as was Jared. Devon and Adrian were sitting on the couch, silent.

Everyone looked at me when I came in. "What's going on?" I asked softly. My dad looked away.

"Dad got fired!" Jared burst out. My jaw dropped and I turned to stare at my dad who said nothing.

"Why?" Honestly, that was all I could say. My mind was still in a state of shock. My dad never really did anything against the company rules. So how did he get fired?

"We don't know," my mom answered and shifted her gaze to dad, "Because he won't tell us."

I looked at dad with a questioning look on my face.

"What happened?" I asked bluntly.

"I don't know. They didn't tell me," my dad replied.

"Bullshit!" Jared exclaimed. My mother turned to him sharply.

"Jared, mind your language."

I gulped and brushed a few hair strands out of my eyes.

"This is so bull! My dad got fired! This is just-effing-great!" Jared said angrily and swept past me up to his room. Devon and Adrian followed him. My mom shook her head and walked away as well. I looked at my dad and went to him.

"Dad, are you gonna be okay?" I asked gently. He grunted. I waited for a moment before going back upstairs. As I passed by Jared's room, I heard voices from his room.

"This is so fucked up!" I heard Jared exclaim.

"J, this might not be that bad," Devon said.

"D, our dad got _fired_. Do you have any idea what this could do to us if people at school found out?" Jared exclaimed. I narrowed my eyes and stopped. I opened the door and stepped in. Jared, Devon, and Adrian looked at me. "What the hell do you want? This is my room. Get. Out."

"That's all you think about, isn't it?" I asked. "About your goddamn popularity."

"Riona, get out of my room. I'm not going to repeat myself."

"Grow up, Jared! The world doesn't revolve around you. Dad got fired. He doesn't need you exploding up on him. He needs support from us!" I exclaimed.

"Don't butt into other people's business," Devon said calmly.

"Go mind your own business," Adrian finished. I was fuming.

"Riona, just because you aren't popular, doesn't mean that others aren't. We have to think about stuff like this," Jared said firmly. "Now, get out." I narrowed my eyes and glared at them.

"Just watch, Jared. There will be one time when you're in shit and nobody's gonna be behind you. Just. Watch." With that, I left his room.

How can he even think that? Apparently, the status quo was more important than family. I walked into my room, opened my backpack, and took out my book. Opening it, I just started to read when I heard the doorbell ring. I ignored it. It rang again. Sighing, I put down the book and went downstairs. As I passed the living room, I noticed that dad was no longer there. Had he heard what Jared said?

I opened the door and glared at who was standing in front of me. Kai Hiwatari. Oh God.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"Is Jared home?" He asked. I nodded slowly. He leaned back and nodded to someone in the driveway. I moved to the side and he came in. Just as I was about to close the door, two more people walked to the door and came in. Tala and Enrique. Tala brushed past me without acknowledgement but Enrique nodded as he went by. I closed the door and followed the three upstairs. They went in Jared's room and I went back to mine.

For a few minutes there was silence although I heard some shuffling and some murmurs. Then, the familiar sound of Linkin Park filled the air. I groaned. I just had to pick this room out of all the others, didn't I? I didn't even bother opening my book. Instead, I took it, walked out of my room, went downstairs and out to the backyard. One of the things I liked about our backyard was that it had a bright red swing hanging down from a tree. We'd had that swing ever since I was a little girl and I loved playing on it. Some days, at times like this, I'd sit on the swing facing our house, open my book and read. It was really fun and peaceful.

I smiled as I stared at the full moon in the sky. My book lay forgotten on my lap as I continued to gaze. Every time I look at a full moon, it feels as though it's slowly coming near me and anytime it would pick me up and show me a whole new world that was dying to be discovered. It was as though the moon, which doesn't even have light of its own, has some secrets that it wants to share with me. When I look at the moon, it feels like its hypnotizing me. It's truly entrancing.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I looked at the forgotten book and picked it up. Flipping it to tenth chapter, I started reading.

**-:-**

About an hour of reading later, I went inside. My throat ached for some water and I was feeling sleepy anyways. I took out a glass from the dishwasher and filled it with water. I drank it in one gulp and then wiped my mouth with my hand. I turned around and bumped into something hard.

Thankfully, I didn't fall but I did stumble back. "Watch where you're going," a firm voice said. After balancing myself, I looked at who had bumped into me. Tala. So much for avoiding them. Tala's deep aqua eyes pierced into me.

"You were in my way," I said, narrowing my eyes.

"Well if you had kept your eyes open, you would've seen me," he said in an arrogant voice giving me a smirk. "I didn't think you were blind, Carter."

"And I didn't think you were as annoying and conceited as you look but I guess I was wrong," I shot back.

"Do you have to be such a frigid bitch?" Tala asked.

"Do you have to be an arrogant bastard?"

"Don't you know never to answer a question with a question?"

"Or what? The Questions and Answers police is gonna come arrest me?" I mocked. He narrowed his eyes at me and growled. He took a step forward and I took a step back. He did it again and so did I. I moved back again and cursed silently when I felt the counter against my back. Tala stepped towards me and leaned to me.

"I wouldn't be so heartless if I were you," he said softly, his aqua eyes never leaving mine. I narrowed my eyes.

"What are you gonna do about it?" I asked, breathing in the vanilla musk scent. Damn…it smelt nice.

Wait…what the hell? I _did not_ just think that. Let's pretend I never thought that.

He leaned even closer. I was trying not to squeak at how close he was to me. My eyes were still gazing his and I realized for once how deep they were. They were almost hypnotic.

"Well, I might just have to fix that," he whispered.

"Really now?"

"Yeah, really," he said.

"Is that a threat or a promise?" I whispered.

"Take it as you wish," he whispered back. He leaned in even more. Subconsciously, my eyes fluttered and at that moment, he smiled and leaned back. "It's working already. I'm so proud of myself. I'm finally going to crack the Ice Queen," he said in an arrogant voice.

I scowled.

"You are a jackass," I ground out. He smirked.

"Don't hate; appreciate. It was bound to happen, Carter. I'm just too…" he said, searching for the right word but I intervened.

"Too annoying? Stupid? Arrogant? Ignorant?" I asked innocently.

"That's cute but no. I'm just too irresistible," he said, not affected by it. Giving me a smirk one last time, he turned around and walked away. After he walked away, I sighed. Turning to the side, I banged my head on the fridge a couple of times. "Don't bang your head on the fridge like that. You might lose some of your precious brain cells…if you have any left," he yelled and started laughing.

"I hate him. I hate him. I hate him," I mumbled that to myself all the way to my room.

* * *

So...that's Chapter 4 :) As promised, Tala finally appeared..yay lol...anyways, thanks to everyone who reviewed...I love you guys :) Thanks to: **SilverGhostKitsune**, **Rene Miashi**, **Jixnce**, **WalkingDeathWish**, **Fluffy Kitten and Alley Cat**, **Gokusgrl-Saiyuki**, **Rose**, **Forfirith The dark angel**, and last but not least, **shadowphoenix101**.

Love you guys...lol...

-:- Cookie N Creme -:-

P.S. Don't forget to R&R...:)


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